There is little formal employment in the area and no training programmes for future generations to benefit from, so the Foundation is doing what it can in conjunction with the ‘on the ground’ VSO personnel, to help provide skills training.

Tailoring and dress-making, fabric arts, shoemaking, metalwork and carpentry, mechanical maintenance, and eventually IT are some of the skills where advice and training is provided.

Little of the equipment is new so there is a high dependency on maintenance and upkeep, with the resultant financial burden that this brings. That is more than compensated for by the enthusiasm, spirit and determination of the students and their tutors all of whom have the ambition and drive to learn and to teach, to improve and to develop.

These skills will help trainees to gain employment, earn a living – however modest – and as apart of that process be able to support their families in an area which has little formal employment and no training programmes.